#clearly I have many thoughts on this character who has been mentioned maybe 3 times

[lesbianlothcats]

As a neurodivergent person, Tech’s death being permanent — and the only major non-villain character to die — hurts.

Tech was neurodivergent. He was clearly written to be, and he was written so well for it. His pragmatism, his bluntness, it resonated with me and so many other people. His conversation with Omega about change, and his quote “I may process moments and thoughts differently, but it does not mean I feel any less than you” genuinely brought me to tears. We had a neurodivergent character who was loved and understood despite his differences.

His sacrifice hurt, but it was well within character. The loss of the representation was painful, but that’s how it is.

And then season 3. Constant hints, constant teases, lingering shots and implications. People who believed Tech was alive weren’t just seeing what they wanted to see, they were seeing what the show was implying. Taking a look at the production teams’ social media accounts doubles down on that we were supposed to think he was still alive. They dangled the possibility Tech in front of us to keep us hoping instead of just confirming that he was gone.

And within the show, it was like he just wasn’t there right now. Barely any references. Sure, there was a time skip of several months, but we didn’t get to see any of the grief these characters had to have felt. It’s not that we needed to be told it, it could have been implied, but it was barely there. A few shots of his broken glasses, off handed remarks. There was a huge hole in the season in the shape of Tech that no one would acknowledge. Maybe it was building towards a major character moment where they actually talk about it, or a reveal that he was still alive.

And then…nothing. All the implications, all the teasing, nothing. No reveals, nothing. They surgically removed Tech, completely excised him. Nothing but the broken glasses. A character who resonated with so many people just utterly dismissed and forgotten.

It sounds overdramatic, but this season has been like a kick in the gut to people who loved Tech. He went from being the most genuinely beautiful representation of neurodivergency to vague tragedy that no one wants to mention, but won’t stop hinting at.

It hurts.

[lurkinggirlie]

Elain & Azriel are EndGame

Azriel’s bonus chapter: semi-essay on my thoughts

This post will be a long one. The shipwar has been going on for far too long, and there's a possiblity that we'll be getting closure soon. So, I want to put my thoughts out there. For Obvious reasons, I could be very wrong, but this is what I think based on canon text: (Ignore any errors..I haven't edited this, and I'm sure there are many posts like this that are way more articulate)

Elriel are endgame. If they’re not then Azriel is kinda pathetic and having him end-up with anyone else is bad writing and character assassination. (Which we sadly won’t put past sjm but I don’t think she would..at least I hope)

1- Elain has no other love interest. Yes, Lucien is her mate but we have hinted at a broken/rejected mating bond for the longest time when it comes to these two so having them accept it eventually is going to be quite underwhelming, repetitive and boring. Even Lucien seems to have given up/isn’t interested in bridging that gap between them, which we’re told in both acofas and acosf. Unless you want to count the longing pointed out by Cassian, although Cassian also pointed out that Lucien was also uncomfortable when he mentioned his mate. To add on, there is no sexual tension between the two, and we know how important that is for sjm’s couple. You can't keep whining "but Elain isn't giving him a chance, if only she gave him a chance, then maybe this and maybe that" Elain is not a seprate entity, she is what SJM writes, Sjm could have written that but she did not yet and I'm not sure if she will. It feels too late at this point, she had already shown us that Elain has feelings for someone else aka Azriel. The author doesn't have to spell everything out for us to understand to what's going on. Sarah usually makes it clear who's endgame. and she literally is. So, it would be very sudden and out of the blue if Lucien and Elain were to end up together when she had never shown it before. When even Azriel pointed this out “I think Lucien will never be good enough for her, and she has no interest in him, anyway” people can say Rhys killed elriel, that the bonus chapter ended them. But this line right here tells us otherwise! First we know Azriel and Elain can read each other so well that they don’t need words, and then Azriel tells us this. He’s literally telling us that Elain does not want Lucien.

We also cannot compare elucien to Feysand or Nessian in the “enemies to lovers" department, because these two seem to hardly care about each other. For obvious reasons she wouldn’t accept or reject Lucien in a book that isn’t hers. But if they do end up together I’d feel robbed that she had more sexual tension with Azriel than she did with Lucien. And we know that Nessian and Feysand had sexual tension before getting together. Most of what we got from Elain and Lucien was awkwardness, and discomfort. Not a single spark. Furthermore, it would feel like Azriel was just leading Elain own. Plus their romance (Lucien and Elain)  would not feel organic, only getting with Lucien because she felt rejected by Azriel, which doesn’t give epic romance no matter how sjm tries to spin it. It would always make Lucien seem like the second choice.

2- Azriel regifting the necklace was a dickhead move, and offensive to both girls. Anyone thinking the regifting of the necklace ended elriel or started gwynriel is delusional and clearly doesn’t know how the romance genre works. (should’ve thrown the gift in the Sidra like Cassain did) I can’t believe Rhys isn’t paying Azriel enough that he felt the need to return the necklace to the shop instead of throwing it. Senstive Illyrian baby indeed. 

3- Rhys saying stay away from Elain (can we take a moment to appreciate how sexy Rhys was for pulling rank, he really made the ship more interesting now) and Azriel actually listening to him?? When he told him you can’t order me to do that. shit would be underwhelming if Azriel actually stayed away? Hello? Secret relationship potential ? Hello? Forbidden romance potential  ??? The tropes would be epic. Sjm had never done that. And I’m not saying she will, but this is how I see it playing out. + Azriel saying it was a mistake to Elain, and Elain apologizing?? The fact she was confused/hurt and probably thought she misunderstood the whole situation? SHE IS BABYGIRL?? Regardless, Azriel saying it was a mistake and it being a mistake is NOT it. This is not how romance works most of the time. This is such a basic romantic trope, why are a lot of people misinterepting it? Elain deserves better, and sjm isn’t about to hurt Elain’s feelings without making it up to her. And she’s definitely not making Azriel end up with another girl before he fixes that shit. I will be needing a proper apology to Elain.  

4- Whenever people think of the bonus chapter they weigh in Azriel’s feelings far more than Elain’s. It’s clear that Elain and Azriel’s feelings are MUTUAL, ignore the bonus chapter and it’s right there in the actual book. I don’t think Elain got the memo that Azriel had  a conversation with another girl after he hurt her feelings which made him realize he’s in love all of a sudden. *sarcasm*  that would be very out of character for Azriel. 

5- His chest sparkling at the thought of Gwyn getting the necklace was so??? I have been saying he’s for the streets and yes this was out of pocket. So, I understand people shipping them. However it could mean anything really, you can't continue saying that Gwyn in the bonus has to mean something, and that that spark must mean somethig but continue to disreagrd every single Elriel interaction like they mean nothing. Because for it to be taken as romance we’d have to ignore the beginning of the bonus, the feysand’s bonus acosf/acomaf/acowar and acofas. + we could easily take this in a platonic way, which is how I viewed it when I read the bonus. Not everything has to be romantic. And sjm will NOT introduce a new guy to make him end up with Elain since we already established Elain doesn’t want Lucien and Lucien doesn’t want her either. 

6- I know that a lot of people have theories about Gwyn being a lightsinger and all of this happening because of her powers (While I do think this is very smart, it wasn’t something I thought of so I won’t talk about it). I do think it’s possible, and all the theories I saw were really cool but idk where sjm is going with this, so to make it simple I do think it could be because she’s his student, she went through a lot it could simply be platonic happiness that a girl who went through so much is going to be happy about something. Even if it was a secondhand necklace specifically picked with ANOTHER girl in mind PLUS I do think sjm wanted drama, and for people to doubt elriel cuz now they have all these obstacles, so Gwyn would be the easy choice, but the second choice regardless. The relationship would feel icky and I genuinely cannot see the potential gwynriels keep talking about. I would take the ship a lot more seriously if a) he didn’t regift her another girl’s necklace b) there was more to them in the actual book. c) he wasn’t still upset about it 3 days later… 

7- There’s a high possibility Gwyn never even got the necklace..

He gave it to Clotho not Gwyn, he didn’t want his name mentioned, and then said if any other girl would like it to give it to them: the aim was to get rid of Elain’s necklace. It’s sort of a parallel with Cassain throwing away Nesta’s present.

I think it’s possible that Azriel went there because he knows how much the girls in the library have suffered, especially since his mom did too, it's possible he thought "okay this is a pretty necklace, I don't want to hold onto the reminder of what could've been, so instead of throwing it let another girl be happy about it. At least it won’t go to waste”

Clotho could tell there was something wrong, like maybe she sensed the energy and decided ayeee let me keep this aside for him, he might come back and ask for it. 

The bonus did not happen at the end of the book 

If Azriel was truly in love with Gwyn now /or he wanted her/ or more between them was going to happen/ or they were mates according to some theories we could have AT LEAST gotten more after the bonus. 

We know the bonus happened after solstice.

Nesta mentions that Azriel was stone-faced and more aloof than usual, he wouldn’t even give her a smile. That was 3 days after the necklace situation. I think it would’ve been a great opportunity to highlight any attraction between Azriel and Gwyn.

Maybe he sees the necklace around her neck, maybe Nesta and Emerie compliment Gwyn’s necklace, or Gwyn telling them she doesn’t know who it’s from, maybe they tease her that someone might have a crush on her. Nesta could’ve pointed out that Azriel was looking at Gwyn’s necklace.or looking at Gwyn in some sort of way. Literally anything. 

Anyone pointing out the way Azriel and Gwyn looked at each other. A charged glance perhaps. Literally ANYTHING. We only got him looking at her with admiration which is very teacher coded. 

If sjm hadn’t made Nesta realize Azriel had a thing for Elain then maybe gwnyriel would’ve been more appealing to me. But no, Nesta noticed. This doesn’t mean nothing people.

aside from that we got nothing romantic, but a part of the fandom still acts like we need to exile Elain because she’s coming between Gwyn and Azriel’s epic love story.

Not everyone has access to the bonus.  

The Azriel chapter was only in ONE store in the US, but Feysand’s bonus chapter was in 3 stores in the US and UK. I don't know but something tells me it’s more important.  Soooo if SJM would do a love interest switch she would not do it in a bonus chapter, and wouldn’t be highlighting the Az/Elain interactions in ACOSF as much as she did. 

Feyre’s chapter focuses on Elain, it literally tells us Elain is next once we’re done helping Nesta. EASY MATH. and the Azriel bonus also focuses on elriel/Azriel’s feelings. ENDGAME MATERIAL RIGHT HERE. 

But the girls swear up and down that Gwyn and Azriel’s book is next because of a secondhand necklace. 

Let’s assume elriels are the delusional ones (like so many of them say), how do we explain these. 

Casual readers who usually read books and aren’t on the internet and aren’t looking for bonus content (wish that was me)  (lord knows I skipped every bonus chapter in throne of glass and crescent city and I wasn’t confused about anything. Not even once) so they’d expect answers for 

The Charged glance between Azriel and Elain

Azriel following the sound of Elain’s laughter. 

Elain looking away when Azriel smiled at her during family dinner, Cassian god bless him that idiot could NOT piece all of that together. BUT it was still highlighted through his POV ???

His secret to tell never hers (and we do learn of that secret in the bonus but people who didn’t read it could only guess so they’d want a confirmation) and sjm did say in one of her lives that Nesta learns of one of Azriel’s secrets (she looked all giddy about it)... and that Azriel is going through some shit right now…and we learn why from the bonus chapter. 

Cassian being confused that it seems like Azriel moved on from Mor

Nesta pointing out that Elain moved on from Graysen

Cassian wondering why Elain is lying about where she’s going. (I viewed this as her avoiding Azriel but idk) 

Azriel’s protectiveness of Elain. He gives mate behavior without the mate part. (I will hit him on the head though omg let my girl do something)

Elain willing to look for the troves even when Nesta wasn’t, the girl wants to do something  (her journey is coming next) 

Nesta wondering if Elain is training with Azriel or the twins (who are spies that were trained by Azriel !!!) 

Feyre telling Azriel that Elain got him beat for secret keeping. Sure it might sound delusional but Elain keeps being compared to Az/being a spy and maybe this could be a thing. 

Elain speaking back to her sisters about them treating her like a child?? Hello finally 

The way Elain’s mother only treated her like a pretty doll which shaped up Elain’s whole life??? I want this from Elain’s POV sooo bad 

In conclusion, we’re not pausing Elain’s story so Azriel can end up with a side character in a spinoff about an og side character, we’re sticking to our og side characters for now.

Azriel being over Mor because of Elain, and Elain moving on from Graysen because of Azriel only for Elain to get over Azriel to be with Lucien (who we got nothing from aside a mating bond..) and for Az to get over Elain and questioning fate for her…only to end up with gwyn…like I don’t think anyone could take Azriel’s feelings seriously if this happens. Shit will be too goofy.  Because if he ends up with Gwyn who says he won’t move on to the next pretty girl he sees afterwards.

To add to that, what plot would we have for Azriel and Gwyn. We'll get more Valkyries training, more healing journey so the plot would have to be paused for this. Nesta’s book was mostly about her healing journey and friendship, while it was nice I don’t want a repeat for the next book. Especially since we know the Rite took a toll on Gwyn, she went back to the library, wasn’t even sure she would make it to Nessian’s mating ceremony. This doesn’t give the protagonist of the next book to me. Or "I thought it was pretty obvious"

Elain’s healing journey had started in ACOWAR, she got her friends in ACOWAR. Now is their TIME to do something!! She is next. 

Closing thoughts on what I think would happen based off each ship happening: 

If elriel happens = new sjm couple dynamic/interesting plot. Fresh sjm protagonist that is unlike sjm's others + we don’t ignore all the foreshadowing and hints. We follow the love triangle we set up in the og trilogy + finally get a rejected mating bond. And instead of warrior training we might get spy training and instead of physical power (as far as we know) we get something more mental. Again this is very new for sjm + there’s a lot to Elain’s power that we don’t know and since Azriel was the one who found out what she was, I think it would make more sense for him to know how to help her. Imagine the sexual tension during training..yes please. I hope sjm doesn’t rob me. Elain is really mysterious, we got Nesta’s inner thoughts before her book but we still haven't gotten a peep about Elain’s inner thoughts and I’m just dying to know more. AND THE STAKES!

1) Rhys forbidding Azriel from Elain, 2) Elain’s mating bond,3) Azriel’s self doubt and how he doesn’t think he’s good enough. 4) The blood duel and the political mess we could get into. (Lucien probs won't but what if Beron would, the breeding potential, A seer must be a powerful thing she can see things others can't and I think that’s valuable. If Eris thought Nesta was valuable as cauldron made and there was no potential there, so The Autumn court probably feels even more entitled to Elain) We have high inner and outer stakes. I have a feeling SJM will fumble all this potential but a girl can dream 

If elucien happens = another successful mating bond + “enemies”  to lovers sort of but they won’t ever be mean to each other so maybe not enemies, just dislike and awkwardness to friends to lovers?  We ignore the hints about a rejected bond and in mating bonds we trust. We also ignore all the elriel hints, and their mutual feelings. We follow the love triangle set up in the og trilogy. I don’t think Lucien could train her in anything? Maybe self defense, Idk Sarah could pull something, but I don’t see Elain leaving her circle of friends but neither do I see Lucien settling in the night court and leaving his own friends. There are no stakes but Elain’s and Lucien’s awkwardness around each other + Elain’s feelings for Azriel. Elain’s and Lucien’s plot connects though so at least there’s that, SJM could ship them off on a mission together and make them get closer. Forced proximity sort of thing. 

If gwynriel happens then = we lost the whole plot, ignored the foreshadowing and hints found in the actual book. Mentor to lovers, civil with each other. Azriel has to move on from Elain first though and that could be icky. Healing journey, more Valkyries training. So we pick up from where we left off in acosf, and we’d see Azriel trying to get her to come out of the Library, or he goes to visit her there until she agrees to come out again. Maybe if Gwyn is a lightsinger then idk more training with Azriel? Again, no stakes but Gwyn’s trauma and Azriel’s self doubt oh and also his feelings for Elain. But that’s it, Gwyn as of now does not connect to the overall plot with the troves (she’s not made therefore she can’t use them) or koschei. So I don’t see us making her go on a mission like that. I’ve seen a lot of gwynriles saying Gwyn has spy potential idk where, but she could barely keep a secret for Nesta so I highly doubt she’d be keeping secrets for the IC. 

Ps: the original koschei plot is 3 sisters marrying 3 very powerful wizards and like idk 3 sisters 3 brothers…we can have a retelling ya know 

[dionysism]

wanna go more in depth for your hatred about tsoa? is it really REALLY inaccurate? im start to get more into greek mythology and many recommended that book to me besides the obvious ones like the actual materials

(btw i love your posts mwa mwa stay hydrated)

sure! yes it is very inaccurate. let me just say though its been like 3 years since i read it and i'm currently out of state so i don't have it on me to skim through but perhaps one day i will reread it just to make a whole masterpost on everything i hate about it. maybe not tho because it was agonizing enough on the first read 💀

also let me put a trigger warning here i will be mentioning sexual assault in this post because it's in the book and i'll be referring to that scene

so i have a lot of issues with it let me try to organize my thoughts... her characterization is my main issue. just terrible. also i feel like her writing is like.... weird or unfitting sometimes. like theres a scene where patroclus (who is like... 11 or 12 at this point maybe younger) says achilles is "still plump with childhood" or something (again probably not the exact quote its been a minute but something similar) which is just not how 11 year olds talk about other 11 year olds? its supposed to be from patroclus' perspective and i just feel like when shes writing him as a kid he still sounds, thinks, and talks like a grown adult. sometimes he doesn't even sound like patroclus he just sounds like madeline miller.

which brings me to her characterization of patroclus in general. just fucking horrific was her inspo troy (2004)? she made him this medic twink who only heals and even when he finally does fight in achilles armor its like he gets kills on pure luck and you're supposed to be shocked. patroclus in the iliad is 1. older than achilles and 2. a great warrior! this is why achilles lets him don his armor in the first place because he KNOWS how good patroclus is on the battlefield. also patroclus has anger and rage of his own! he is not a smol uwu baby don't PISS ME OFF! his kill count crazy. idek where she got the medic thing from there's like one (1) scene in the iliad where patroclus helps an injured solider in the camp but he is most certainly not the medic of the greeks. he's dull in tsoa. he has hardly any personality outside his love for achilles.

next is her thetis. this, i think, enrages me more than anything else. thetis is a character of grief. thetis is a goddess who, for all her power, is ultimately unable to change the fate of her son. she may be a little overbearing at times, but NOTHING like how she is in tsoa. madeline miller makes her a homophobic (?) helicopter abusive mother (i say ? on the homophobia because im not sure if it was homophobia or if she just hated patroclus specifically. if it was homophobia the stupidity of making an ancient greek god homophobic speaks for itself) thetis doesn't even hate patroclus in the iliad, in fact, thetis is the one who preserves his body and keeps it fresh and prevents it from rotting while achilles waits for his new armor and then goes out to fight hector. she tells achilles he could lay there for a year and she would keep him unchanged. in tsoa, she forces them apart, and tells achilles if he does not sleep with deidamia, she will never let him see patroclus again. this is insane to me. thetis would not set her son up for s/a and force him to sleep with someone against his will. and mind you this occurs after she's already stated clearly that thetis is a victim of rape herself. i assume this is madeline miller's way of asserting that achilles has no attraction to women while still being able to have his son in the plot later. this again, is stupid to me. if you want to argue achilles may have been gay, fine, homosexuality was complicated in ancient greece and you could potentially make the argument his sleeping with women was to uphold a reputation but i think it's more accurate that he was probably just attracted to both. however i think you can make him explicitly gay in a retelling without adding sexual assault to his story. i also find this especially distasteful because in actual antiquity achilles is the one committing sexual assault. (if i had a nickel for every time madeline miller made a character who canonically assaults someone else a victim of s/a while removing the fact they commit it themselves from the story i'd have 2 nickels. which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?) in general i find it very weird how madeline, on multiple occasions, demonizes a woman from mythology and makes her into a villain she simply is not. this y'alls "feminist retelling" author? oh okay.. i guess! (her deidama is an antagonist in this too, as a hysterical jealous Other Woman)

i also felt she imposed too many modern standards/heteronormativity onto achilles and patroclus' relationship. like i said with patroclus, making him the weak defenseless healer and achilles the badass warrior. very much giving one is strong and masculine and the other is nurturing and feminine. changing the aspects of their other relationships so its like they've only ever loved eachother and no else which isn't necessary. achilles and patroclus could (and do, in the iliad) sleep with other people and it would not diminish how intense and true their love for each other is!!

over all she sanitized the story, flattened it and butchered all the characters with a sprinkle of fetishization and misogyny on top. the book is frankly boring and underdeveloped too. this is honestly not as in depth of a review as i would like to give but like i said i don't have access to the book at the moment so i just stuck to the core grievances i remember having

(also thank you, you stay hydrated too!! <3)

[aardvaark]

the librarians "and the christmas thief" (s4e3) watch through:

patron saint of thieves (ie st nick... ie santa), leverage deja vu!

this has some kath & kim vibes - not sure if that’s intentional from the US writers but i hope it is. you might know kath & kim from this meme:

"did you just say - mum?" maybe they’re already working out what he means, but surely for like one second cassandra was thinking "what did you just call me?!?"

okay woah too many hilarious things just happened at once -

this exchange (plus them all running around the table lmaooo):

ezekiel: "they're my family, i'll sort it out, please!" cassandra: "i thought WE were your family!" ezekiel: "you’re a different sort of family. i like you guys!"

^ but re: the above, i love the fact cassandra's offended that he has another family... you know, the family he grew up with. which does make sense from her pov because both cassie & jacob very much have difficult relationships with their own relatives & the library is like their "main" family. she seems to have assumed it was the same way for ezekiel (after all, he's clearly not talked much about his mum & sisters). so she feels confused & a little betrayed even though all he's done is like. have a mother. lol. very much not his fault but i get why she's a bit upset

also love cassandra's incredibly convincing lie to eve, "i found it. the bottle opener. was in the bottle opener drawer. with the other bottle openers".

baird saying "bye, kids" LMAOOO.

ezekiel kissing cassandra on the lips (to which she looks grossed out lol) & about to do the same to jacob before getting pushed away

-AND lastly, ezekiel saying his mum lives just outside sydney & cassandra goes "that explains the accent". did you think he was just talking like that for fun

CASSIES HAIR

jacob knowing about thankstaking day for some reason??

cassandra giving ezekiel's mum a disturbed stare while she discusses stealing christmas presents, but also introducing herself politely & hugging her lol.

plot of the grinch

thank god for cassie. the one who noticed the globe was missing, now the one noticing the globe is on fire

thief worldbuilding. i feel like a lot of this is like the stuff they would've joked about behind the scenes in leverage ("crime world") but couldn't really add to a show that is mostly grounded in real life stuff. also i remember a society of thieves or something being mentioned much earlier on in this show, when representatives from the library and dragons and the fae etc all met up that one time. for some reason thieves are included in magical society lol.

wait if they frame that guy for stealing here, won't he get liquidated?? hope that blew over

its cool that we've seen the same show runners pick two very different sets of laser-avoidance styles for their thief characters lol. parker (leverage) doing the gymnastics type vs ezekiel basically dancing. both chosen to fit the characters im assuming (or in parkers case, to fit what she would have been trained by archie to do - a very classic thief style, according to tv at least lol).

LOL "ezekiel jones? THE ezekiel jones?" exactly like "parker? THE parker?"

well thats why thieves are in magical society ig! santas brother is canonically running the bank of thieves. okay

ezekiel was literally robin hood. and i like that he knows he's lucky and supports people who just didn't have that luck. also him talking about stealing as an art (which he's alluded to before), he really does simply have a passion.

"it has been my experience that behind every egotistical blowhard, there is a petulant, scared little boy"

ezekiel ultimately saying that his mum didnt just teach him greed but also very much generosity & kindness <3 idk family is complicated, people are complicated.

LMAO my very first thought was "wasn't it facing the other way?"

[ivysangel]

wally’s death was the first character death that i ever experienced from a character that i LOVED. like i was crushed and i cried so hard my mom thought someone actually died so i understand your pain!! and when they did the kind of flashback thing in season 3 where dick was hallucinating about being robin with the team and wally was back while fighting on granny goodness’s ship??? the writers were SICK for that!!

also dinah mentioning the sanctuary part at the end of season 4 is supposed to be how wally comes back but i don’t see how cause in the comics he’s stuck in the speedforce but the writers say there is no speedforce?? which why not??

the time jump was the dumbest thing i’ve ever seen cause why??? we missed tula joining the team and then dying, we missed kaldur discovering who his real father is and going to the light’s side (even if it was just undercover), we missed dick becoming nightwing, and we missed ALL of jason. don’t get me wrong cause i love tim and i wanted to see him as robin too but jason is such an important part of tim and dick’s stories so what gives??

and the writers are especially sick for how they did wally and artemis!! cause why tease us with them for the whole season, finally give us spitfire in the last episode of season 1, then have their ENTIRE relationship off screen, and then they kill wally?? we really got no time with them!! like spitfire is arguably the best couple on the show even if the writers clearly do favor connor and m’gann. especially m’gann and i love her but why was dick barely in season 4???

i don't think i cried when wally died bc i'm p sure i spoiled it for myself but i was still GUTTED. me and one of my friends who also watched yj have talked about it so many times. she actually stopped after he died and said she wouldn't continue the show unless they brought him back. i think dc knows what young justice fans want i just don't think they gaf bc that have quite literally not implemented a single thing that fans have REALLY asked for. you'll say "we want wally back!!" and they'll be like "ohhh okay let's remind everyone that he's dead and literally nobodies truly recovered!!!"

also, once again, FUCK that five year time jump. the young justice writers' room utilized the FUCK out of time jumps like every season has at least one or two??? mid-season they'll be like "1 year later" WHAT??? but like i said, nothing is worse than that five year time jump between s1 and s2 because five years is such a long time, especially because the team were practically babies at the beginning. they had so much potential and then the show just jumped to them as adults and a whole new team.

i also fully hate that they introduced rocket in the second to last episode or smth and pretty much benched her as a superhero for the entire rest of the show, i do not understand that decision AT ALL.

and yes, the fourth season being advertised as a season about the og team only for it to be so heavily m'gann and conner centric was so…i did enjoy that we finally got some real zatanna screen time but ugh god i wish it was with the team. like i don't really know how to explain it or if this even makes sense, but even though the show is about a team i feel like we barely get to see the team do actual team stuff like they used to. it feels like a lot of solo plotlines that happen to be going on in the same show with coincidental correlation.

also i think it might've been season 4? maybe 3? but WAY TOO MANY CUTS TO VANDAL SAVAGE'S LIFE STORY. I DON'T GIVE A FUCK.

[tarajenkins]

It's that time again

Time to make a massive post for my thoughts on the Lord Vauthry side of the new Encyclopaedia 3! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ Spoiler alert: they aren't positive at all, lmao As it turns out, there is a convenient cover-our-ass disclaimer right off that this book is diegetic. The information in it is supposed to have been gleaned from the Scions. The Scions who, especially in the case of Eulmore's ~dark secrets~, would know jack shit about fuck all.

Admittedly, Hydaelyn should've known at least some of this through the death of her last Oracle, but for whatever reason it slipped her mind to tell us any of it in-game. Whoops!

Or maybe she was relying on that child to be the stopgap against the Rejoining happening too soon, like Selch. She could've at least given credit where it was due, if so. >:T

Twitter had a huge pearl-clutching shitfit the other day about that Oracle's death, which boiled down to "EW GROSS FATTY BEAT A CHILD TO DEATH OMG". The OP showed a screenshot of the page which mentions that Vauthry attacked the Oracle after having a nightmare that she would kill him. But they chose not to link the FIRST part for whatever reason, where it stated the Oracle in question had been fighting Sin Eaters alongside Ran'jit before Vauthry was even born. So unless this Oracle was an infant slayer of Sin Eaters, Vauthry was the child in that scenario--at age TWELVE. A twelve-year-old somehow defeated Hydaelyn's avatar, who was a skilled fighter trained by Ran'jit himself. (Ran'jit was a Master Assassin at five years old, btw. No, really.)

That said, the fanbase in that post naturally bought the OP's failure to math the way Estinien buys his hair ties: like suckers. Players were parroting the misinformation via solo posts and showing their entire ass on fatphobia in this character's tag all day. And, of course, where the fandom forgives and forgets the atrocities of almost every other character, people suddenly seemed very invested in making Vauthry enjoyers EXPLAIN THEMSELVES because this character did THIS.

When that was called out for the glaring hypocrisy, one poster replied it's just that "people are shocked at child abuse suddenly being mentioned and relevant."

Except child abuse has ALWAYS been mentioned and relevant in this game. It also applies to Vauthry himself. Emet-Selch essentially killed Vauthry before he was even born, dooming an infant to a life of madness and violence by fusing the baby with a Lightwarden. His father groomed him on lies for a power grab, Ascians further manipulated him in his madness to raise the Virtues, Ascend Gaia's parents, and who knows what else. What would you call that, if not abuse? Thank Emet-Selch for the previous Oracle being murdered. That wasn't going to happen with a 12-year-old who wasn't corrupted by a Lightwarden.

But, let's be real. All the derision of the character's weight during that Twitstorm made it extra obvious what makes him ~problematic~ to them. For their faves, it's "it's just fiction uwu" or the classic ~moral relativism~. For Vauthry, it's rabid foaming because it's clearly a Moral Failing to enjoy THAT character, and we who do must be harassed for it! Case in point, the Twitter OP even pulled out the old uwu ~at least I'm not a ~Vauthry shipper uwu" chestnut, I kid you not. At least, rabid foaming on behalf of vidya game children everywhere until I asked if it was finally time to discuss how many pixel children were murdered by the Rejoinings or Garlean occupation, for a start. Kids freezing in the Brume, etc. Kids made monsters by corrupting them in the womb. You know. A Tuesday. Crickets, then.

"I can't imagine Vauthry ever being a child", someone else posted.

They showed him as a baby in his mother's arms, in the Echo flashback. It's not hard. But I guess it's easier to dehumanize a fat character than it is to think a little.

If anyone else wants to be pissed at me saying all this as they were years ago, I really, really can't be arsed to care. It's rare NOT to see this character's fatness derided in just about any discussion of him. It sure was in his Twitter tags the other day. And, well. Every day. If you want to prove me wrong, though, confront that behavior when you see it, make shutting it down the norm, instead of whining how I'm "too rude" and so that invalidates my points somehow. No shit I'm rude when this "great community" has all the wit of bullies on a playground. Go tone police them instead, maybe.

ANYWAY

On the plus side, some of this new sorta-lore does seem to still back up some of my original in-game theories, but he was already twisted by the corruption from birth. There's no denying that anymore at least, no more hearing stuff from the fanbase like "uwu Emet-Selch gave him a GIFT, Vauthry just abused it uwu". (Who am I kidding, the last part will still happen.) Also, since the actual writers of this book don't stand behind anything written in it, I can still give him the happy ending in AUville that he should have had canonly. ⸜( ˙˘˙)⸝ ♡

What the purpose of this book is when nothing in it is concrete, I have no idea. But if Square can't back off their unimaginative fatphobia, can they at LEAST make Eulmore make sense?

NOPE ( ᐛ )b

Vauthry's father was named Veronth Mudthane, and in this retcon they imply he took more than a minute to decide that allowing a rando to corrupt his baby without asking his wife first was a swell deal. "The Scions" should've at least known the Echo shown in-game just…completely refutes that. But this book also has a blurb for Anogg but shows a portrait of her brother Konogg, so I honestly have to wonder if "The Scions" even played this game.

Vauthry's mother, as per usual, is not given a name or otherwise addressed at all. Because reasons.

"A euphoric Veronth went on to spoil his offspring in extravagant fashion, showering this "new god" with adoration bordering on worship. Such treatment would warp any child's mind, and Vauthry was no exception: he grew up willful, wanton, and possessed of an awful temper."

No exceptions except: Alphinaud, Alisaie, Nanamo, the fandom darlings of Ishgard (arguably excluding Emmanellain but for some reason he always gets a free pass), Hildibrand, Sark Malark, I'm sure I am forgetting some but you get the idea! There's only one difference, I wonder what it could be--

reads book's description of Vauthry's "corpulent chest"

--ah, right. The shitty tropes barely disguised as storytelling. Double standards! It's not just for jackasses in the fanbase anymore! "The Scions" are trying to lay this on "spoiling", when the child was fused with a Lightwarden. Ask Titania how that went for them.

The book goes on to say Vauthry murdered both of his parents at age nine in a fit of temper. You read that right: age nine. With witnesses. Somehow. They go on to mention the witnesses may have been okay with it perhaps because of "a growing mastery over his Lightwarden powers of domination". You know, those powers of domination that didn't exist in-game when Alphinaud chastised the Eulmorans for willfully ignoring the plight of the rest of the world. Those powers of domination that, when they finally were exerted in-game, resulted in the Eulmorans staggering around like drunks, muttering and supremely useless.

In-game, Vauthry wasn't "dominating" anything until he sprouted meatwings and fled to Gulg. Otherwise, Tristol would never have been able to ask to leave? Alphinaud would've been affected, even if the WoL was shielded by the Blessing of Light. Kai-Shirr would have chopped his arm off gladly. The Eulmorans would be blameless for everything Alphinaud and the narrative blamed them for.

In any case, both in this book and in-game, the writers completely gutted their own narrative of Vauthry and/or Eulmore being symbolic of All Things Bad. It's pretty impressive. Vauthry was corrupted by a Lightwarden, like Titania; his mind and behavior were compromised by this from birth. And if he DID control the Eulmorans the whole time, then they had no free will, either.

The book claims Vauthry used Ascension as a cruel game and delighted in ~revealing the truth~ to his victims as they became Sin Eaters. But they never explained why there would be a need to hide any truth with this latest spin on the dumpster fire that is the Eulmore arc.

In-game, there were rules to even request Ascension of him, and it was limited to and at the discretion of the formerly rich free citizenry. Workers could be granted it, but only if their patron vouched for them. The free citizens apparently had to wait until they were at their natural end, as per the Warbler's patron. The random disappearance of so many people from the stagnant population of that tower over the years would cause a panic by any stretch of the imagination. Word would get out, because workers on the inside were shown to be able to visit loved ones in Gate Town. Only allowing Ascension at the natural end of life would cover all that part up, except Vauthry was only 29 years old. The opportunities for Ascension: The Game would've been about as often as Minfilias spawned in that one century. (Which, according to the game, was totally hundreds on hundreds of Minfilias!) Either way makes zero good sense. The convoluted lengths they went through for the sake of these cheap fatphobic tropes is staggering, I s2g.

Meol still doesn't make sense, either. They doubled down on the "fat character eats people" trope in the book, but tbh I've come to expect unoriginality from anything directed by Naoki "Diversity would be unrealistic in my giant magic summon fantasy game" Yoshida.

Sin Eaters are said to have been found in cages next to a butcher table sort of setup, even though in-game, Sin Eaters have no bones, blood, or meat. In fact, the sparklies they dissapate into upon death are rather important to the narrative, as that is what turns people into new Sin Eaters. Meol, you know, that dish which was still entirely optional, and so really contradictory to using it as some master plan to MC the populace.

TL;DR: This is what happens when you phone in lazy tropes instead of a story for a last-minute arc and call it a day. Imagine what we could've had if they'd done some actual thoughtful writing. Also TL;DR:

Mood, Your Lordship

[ineffableigh]

Timeline of Suspicious Events Brain Dump - PART 3

You know the drill at this point. Off we goooo! [Part 1][Part 2]

"Maggie and Nina are depending on me!" Azi's really drunk his own Kool-aid at this point, or he's putting on a complicated show to pretend this is a serious endeavor. Giving away a valuable book just to trick Heaven? Something's really not adding up.

Another weird noise for the logs: A bassy 'whoosh/boom' noise right after Mutt says he has anniversary dinner with his beloved spouse and the camera pans to Crowley. Not sure it means anything, but it did stand out to me lol.

Something that stands out to me a lot as well, assuming it was done deliberately (I don't know the actor) - Mutt seems to be having an awfully hard time handling the cards he's currently sorting. Like, after he says 'no' at first, I cannot figure out what he's trying to do with his right hand.

Also of note: The mysterious Bird Box is nowhere to be seen in the shop, even though MANY of the set items are identical to the 1941 scene. Where that bird at??

"Under no circumstances can I there be for tonight." ... what? This has to be on purpose, right? I'm digging, I know, but that's what we do here lol.

Big sad empty warehouse for the Demon Legions. Why on earth (or in Hell) is Hell so short staffed? Where them demons at?

DANGER...osity!

"I can only be there 'til 7" so that's a half hour window for the meeting, at least for Justine. Fair, she can only handle so much of Azi's painful French lol.

The metal barrier just outside the cafe is... awfully snake-y isn't it?

"Looking where the furniture isn't..." is definitely going to be VERY important. Crowley absolutely knows something about losing AND regaining memories and it's been telegraphed all season.

Michael has eye earrings! This feels like a huge tie-in with Maggie's all seeing eye necklace.

Skimming through the rest since I've gone through it multiple times through other posts, but quick takeaways include...

Ms Cheng looking at the Pub before she goes in. Suspicious given we know that's the Hellevator, but have no reason to believe she'd be looking for someone else coming from that direction as the cafe AND record store are the other way.

Mr Brown has to be suspicious because we HEAR him getting mulched by demons when he's taken, but he survives? WEIRD.

Maggie's main character moment as I mentioned in my 'Thoughts about Maggie' post.

Azi seems very genuine when explaining the Coffee Shop Love Plot to Nina, so maybe he really did believe he was helping. I don't get why they steamrolled past her already having a partner, both the lads knew it. It's weird for that much.

Maggie blankly standing by the open window in range of trash is weird, especially since she like Activates and Becomes Brave right after.

I do wonder... how does Shax know Maggie couldn't pay the rent? That seems awfully specific. Like REALLY specific.

Throne, Dominion or Higher Crowley - what a way to drop that info! That moment hits so hard lol.

"Institutional Problem" I wonder if we'll learn more about The Fall next season. What was it that actually triggered it (in this universe)?

I love that the archangels clearly interact with each other SO LITTLE that no one even knows if Gabriel actually has his own bloody desk lol. Talk about isolation.

Huh. I wonder why Shax didn't get discorporated by the Exploding Halo...

You know who else is wearing a damn turtleneck? SARAQUAEL. OOH. COVERT AGENT? HMMMM

No one looked at the damn box, I still can't believe it. Everyone was so busy Being In A Story that they didn't think of it lol.

Analysis of the last chunk of the episode has been done to death, so I'll finish by underlining that it's SO awfully convenient that Maggie INSISTED that she and Nina talk to "them" while Aziraphale was waylaid by the Metatron.

In fact, it's Very Fortunate that the Metatron made a point of going and sitting at JUSTINE'S CAFE out of sight of the bookshop AND Nina's Cafe. Otherwise Nina might have been like hey you, get in on this chat! Like he knew that was the plan...

Plus the fact that they do that even though Justine's cafe is clearly CLOSED. I doubt she'd be chill with that so I guess she's not around.

Anyway that's enough so here's the TLDR:

The Metatron pretty much just LETS Gabriel escape, knowing that the Archangels will go down and muddle about trying to investigate.

We still don't know why Michael thought they had the right to strike people from the Book of Life. The Metatron seems to think that's out of the question, so where did that idea come from in the first place? It was a major driver of the early plot this season.

It seems convenient that Maggie cried about Nina RIGHT before the Angels arrived to inspect the Jimbriel miracle, and then RIGHT AFTER THAT, Mr Brown (of Brown's World of Carpets) shows up to set up the venue. That alone, all happening in the span of maybe 15 minutes, is a LOT.

It really feels like much of the plot was specifically orchestrated to keep Aziraphale and Crowley apart and NOT TALKING to each other. They keep hiding shit from each other to protect each other, but just hamstring themselves.

[xmochaccinox]

Rise Character Analysis: Kendra!

Ch 1: Meet Kendra

Ch 2: Kendra's Major Traits

Ch 3: Kendra's Relationship With Others

Ch 4: Theories

Alright, I'm bored and I wanna do a character analysis on a Rise Character, but seeing as the turtles, April, Splinter, and Cassandra have been done many times, let's target Kendra!

Just so you know, I am not a certified psychologist, but psychology has been my life long interest. I may get things incorrect and this is all my perspective on what's going on. If you have any disagreement, please engage! I would love to hear everyone's thoughts as long as it's done in a respectable manner (as in don't go calling me or others a dumb*ss and stuff)!

Everything is below under the cut due to length

Ch 1: Meet Kendra

Kendra, who is she? Well, she's the leader of the Purple Dragons and is a well known rival (as well as a very popular head canon love potential) of our one and only purple tech turtle, Donnie. What's her end goal? We... actually don't really know. All we know is that she wants to steal a device that can just give her instant access to hack into any computer and we don't know what else

We first see Kendra in The Purple Jacket with her group taken over a part of the highschool's computer room, which gives us a hint towards their specialty. Right away before we even meet her, we see two students behind her, Jeremy, and Jason dealing with nasty wedgies, a classic way of showing that these are the bullies of the school. April even refers to them as "Stuck up jerks who think they're smarter than everyone else"

Some major skills that Kendra (as well as Jeremy and Jason) uses is programming, coding, hacking, and modification. We see this multiple times, but the biggest example has to be The Purple Game when they used a video game and somehow attached a giant robot to it that also has an AI that studied Donnie's gaming style should things go wrong. Oh, and they hacked into Donnie's computer just to gloat

Kendra and the rest of the Purple Dragons appear to mostly use hardware hacking, which is basically hacking into the physical computer, although they do have some knowledge of software hacking as well

I will mention that they appear to have some idea of making drones and such, but not very advanced as seen in Breaking Purple when Kendra complains that their (Jason's) drone isn't good enough for the drone race. So their skills lean more towards hacking and modifying rather than building things (which kinda makes me wonder where they got the giant robot for The Purple Game as well as the security bots from Mind Meld. Maybe it's just the show being a little inconsistent, who knows)

Outside of school, Kendra, Jeremy, and Jason are still trouble makers, but mostly pulls annoying pranks like throwing food into people's mouths who fell asleep in a theater, which is wildly tame compared to the scene right before it where apparently they used actual tasers during laser tag (no seriously, compare that scene with what we see in Operation: Normal)

Ch 2: Kendra's Personality

Kendra is confident

Often we see Kendra present herself in a highly manner. The best example is when she reveals herself in The Purple Game, saying, "We meet again Bootyshaker9000. Or should I call you Othello Von Ryan? Or should I call you Donnie?" and ignores Donnie's comment about being in house arrest to continue to gloat

We also know that Kendra and the other dragons consider themselves smarter than everyone else through April and the fact that even Kendra herself said that she and her group is the "Greatest hacking duo"

Kendra is uncaring

Kendra is confident in her own plans so much so that when things go wrong, she becomes extremely angry and also blames others for it but then quickly bounces back, announcing that she will be back (which kinda makes me think of an old cartoon villain)

Kendra is intelligent

The one thing that can not be denied is her intelligence. She's clearly smart enough to help her teammates with hacking into a system to get a code and knows how to work with software and coding

I will say I think her intelligence seems to lean a little more into Leo smart, where she knows how to manipulate the people around her to get what she wants, but she is able to work on her own if she has to

While actually meeting her, Kendra pretends to not know who April is, even though the latter pointed out that they've known each other since Kindergarten. Another hint shown is later on in the same episode when she willingly leaves Jason and Jeremy behind for the sake of stealing a code from the Nakamura company

Also the race she persuaded Shelldon into participating is apparently potentially deadly. We get this from the scene with Malinowski and Repo Mantis when they talk about drones participating in the race and many ending up as scrap metal and in the actual race when things like saw blades are being used as obstacles

Kendra is charismatic

Once again, this is shown in The Purple Jacket when she tricks Donnie into revealing their technology, only to use their own tech for her own goals

This was shown again in Breaking Purple when Kendra takes advantage of Shelldon while he was at a low point and tricked him into thinking he was part of the team in order to have him participate in a race that would give the winner the Shadow Transmitter

Kendra is sadistic

Kendra tried to destroy Donnie's siblings both through wanting to see them do it to quickly switching it to wanting the joy of seeing Donnie's reaction to her destroying their siblings

Kendra is impatient

The one thing that everything Kendra keeps trying to steal have in common is that they would supposedly get her into any computer instantly. Even though she herself does coding. And she also steals tech (specifically Donnie's tech as well as robbing electronic stores) to get to her goal quicker

Kendra also values her own time a lot. She wants to get things done as quickly as possible. She can be seen interrupting conversations and telling those involved to wrap it up if she feels like her time is being wasted. One example is when she tells Jeremy and Donnie to "Can the bromance" and in a later episode interrupts Jeremy when he tries to explain the AI in the game they made for Donnie

Kendra is irritable

This can go hand in hand with her being impatient as Kendra becomes angry when her patience is running out. Kendra is often seen snapping at someone, using that fear she puts on them to keep them in line. We mostly see this with her and Jason, but I go into that more later in the post

Though most of all, she gets upset when things don't go her way, like when she got angry at Shelldon for failing to get the Shadow Transmitter, calling him a "Useless drone"

Now with all that, how does Kendra see herself? Well, we know she sees herself as the greatest hacker and also refers to herself and her group "misunderstood teens that don't play by the rules" but considering she's constantly talking with a sinister tone, I genuinely can't tell if she's aware of how bad she can be and doesn't care or she doesn't see what's wrong with what she does. I'm inclined to assume the latter considering all we know about her so far

Another thing to note, despite her love to gloat, Kendra is pretty quiet when it comes to talking about how her tech works. At least compared to Jeremy who jumps at the chance to explain how things works. Maybe she doesn't want anyone to steal what she does?

Ch 3: Kendra's Relationship With Others

Donnie:

At first Kendra did not care about who Donnie is. If Donnie hadn't stopped her from robbing the Nakamura company, she probably would've continued to not care about them, but they forced themself outside of being viewed as a pawn, and is now viewed as the enemy. And what does Kendra do in retaliation? She tries to trick them into destroying their siblings

In turn, Donnie did have a genuine interest in joining her group (and also getting that purple jacket), but that was quickly diminished when she stole their tech. Because of it, Donnie usually seen trying to stop Kendra from stealing any other codes or devices, and even warned Shelldon about her and the other Purple Dragons before he even met the group

April:

Now technically we have no idea what relationship Kendra had with April. However, what interests me is April's reaction to Kendra. She just seems so done, almost as though she witnessed Kendra being Kendra for way too long or she was also screwed over by Kendra at some point in her life

Even when Donnie's stuff got stolen, she just wasn't surprised, at all

And it contrasts how she is towards Taylor, another cool girl character who's a bit of a jerk, but April was more wanting to impress her

But this is all purely speculation, so I can't really confirm anything

Jeremy:

The closest Kendra considers an equal. He goes along with Kendra's antics without much of a fuss and is the one Kendra is the nicest towards. He doesn't even seem to mind whenever she expresses frustration over something

Even still, she tends to quickly shut him down when he tried to engage in conversation with Donnie and explain how the Purple Game worked

There's not much I can say due to there not being too much screen time for him

Jason:

So Jason is the weaker link of the group. He's the one that Kendra treats more harshly and is barely considered a part of the group. We get this by Kendra snatching Jason's jacket to give to Donnie in The Purple Jacket and when she referred to the Purple Dragons as a duo rather than a trio (stating that Jason is on thin ice when he tries to correct her), and finally when she calls Jason the low man of the totem pole

Hell, Jason can barely have much of a happy moment without Kendra immediately knocking him back down. We get this from when he succeeds at bypassing the security in the Nakamura Simulator and she immediately says that he needs to be knocked down a peg and then when she reminds him that he's the low man after she agrees to let Donnie join

And surprisingly, we get some insight as to why. It turns out Jason is Kendra's stepbrother, and it's heavily implied that the only reason why he's even a part of the team is because of their parents. We get this when after Jason failed to get the Shadow Transmitter, Kendra says, "I wish my dad never married your mom"

Chapter 4: Theories

Okay, so the biggest theory for why Kendra acts the way she does is because of her potentially dealing with a divorce

It does explain why she has a need for constant control. It explains why she's into hacking and modifications. It explains why she's always trying to get her hands on a code or a device that could hack into any computer. It's also possible Kendra learned how to be manipulative starting with her parents

What it doesn't explain is, why the ability to hack into any computer specifically?

Now, I just want to also say that this obviously doesn't excuse anything. It doesn't excuse for how she treats Jason (who, may I remind you, is also dealing with the divorce as well). It's not an excuse for how she treats Jeremy. It's not an excuse for how she treated Shelldon. It's not an excuse for anything

Although that's all I can really say. Other than that, we have no idea what's actually going on in Kendra nor Jason's life. What I can safely say is that the parents are definitely not perfect because trying to force a relationship between anyone will most of the time completely fall apart

One thing I will note is how the only time Kendra has ever brought up the potential divorce thing was when Jason failed to get the Shadow Transmitter, and she doesn't say anything about a divorce, she instead specifically says, "I wish my dad never married your mom"

Overall Thoughts:

All 'n all, depending on your own experience, Kendra is basically the typical a-hole high school bully (or semi-typical)

Despite me having barely anything nice to say about her, I like Kendra, especially as a character. I think she's a pretty interesting character, and honestly I would love to see how she would develop as a villain. And I say villain because I highly doubt that she's going to willingly change for the better anytime soon and honestly? That's perfectly fine with me

If the show does somehow continue and Kendra does get some kind of redemption arc, she'd be an anti-hero at best, and hopefully it's out of her choice and not because the writers decided to put in the "she was in love with Donnie this whole time" trope

So, thanks for reading!

Also, if you want an analysis and/or an opinion on any overall stories, ships, theories, characters, etc to the fandoms I'm in or familiar with, I might do it depending on what it is

[runningfrom2am]

extremely late chapter 14 thoughts:

1. sejanus as much as i love you- maybe not throw yourself inside the house when coryo is having an existential crisis.

2. i love lennox because there should be at least one person who thinks the right way. i hope lennox keeps him on his toes so he thinks three times before doing anything.

3. “Unless you still didn’t see it that way.” ohhhh… the drama.

4. “the back cover of an old book about a man who hunted humans.” is the book “the most dangerous game”?

5. trying to materialise her morals with her prize must’ve been awful. only having money to hold as you’re in a train for that long with that many thoughts, i can’t even imagine.

6. i truly love the family r has and how even that makes her different than lucy gray. the latter was the oldest in her unit, as far as i know, while r isn’t meant to take care of anyone. also you are doing an excellent job at not casting them aside, as side characters usually exist for a quick second in fanfics.

7. Coriolanus Snow Being Honest To A District Woman? It’s More Likely Than You Think.

8. well, ladybugs bring luck.

9. thank you so much for not making her jump to his arms in a few seconds. she went through hell in that arena and at least half of it could be traced back to coryo. the emotional weight of that isn’t something that will lift quickly. she is bound to him by something greater than her feelings.

10. “I am yours for the walk and especially when I walk away.” MA’AM IS THIS FORESHADOWING IN A WAY?

welcome back bestie!! also i hope you had such a great birthday !!

1. yeah he was not thinking LMAO he was just like “on my way to see my friend !” and lucy gray was like “bro cmon read the room”

2. yes i love him :’) he was ready to swing immediately. i really love writing sibling relationships bc with my brother i’ve had so many different perspectives on it through the years haha, but now it literally doesn’t matter i’m like “this person is annoying” and he’s like “i’ll fight them rn” lol. i really think lennox needs to bring that energy bc r is WAY too gentle for her own good, even after all that she went through. he’s a good kid, of course, raised by the same parents, but he’s not nearly as timid and i love him for it.

and ANOTHER thing ab lennox- him and lucy gray both know more than her parents do, and both are clearly protective of her but she is still willing to give coryo a chance. he sees coryo as untrustworthy and a threat to r even though he knows she cares about him, but lucy gray is more optimistic ab it. idk, i feel like they see the situation clearly but in very different ways.

3. he’s like “shit i came all this way to be shut down didn’t i-“ lol

4. yes ma’am 🫡🤭 i mean i know it’s a short story but i have seen individual prints of it too (i had someone on wp be like “but that’s not a book it’s a short story” like girl i know pls-

5. no literally i would lose my damn mind. like you’re staring at an amount of money that can change your life and trying to convince yourself it is somehow worth it (which i know she could never do) would be actual torture i think.

6. i love her family so much, like realistically i can’t imagine r being the person she is without having a loving and supportive family.

also thank you! i love lucy gray and the covey too much to neglect them. especially maude ivory!! we deserved more of her in the movie!!

7. no literally. especially r’s mom. i think he doesn’t consciously know it either but r had talked about her mom quite a bit while she was in the capitol so i think he trusts her more than he would care to if he didn’t feel like he “knew her”. also i think important to mention that his fathers death also affected her so deeply and even physically.

8. that they do 🤭

9. AH you are so welcome. like as much as that would have been cute or whatever i seriously don’t think that was even an option for her it wouldn’t have made even a bit of sense. honestly, she was more likely to bolt back out the door and make a run for it hahahaha

10. IDK WE’LL HAVE TO SEE

[kind-of-a-shitty-wizard]

I've been thinking about him for some time already (YOU KNOW WHO...) and I think. he's just Like That ™. the gentleman killer. Haskillcore boring old man stuff enjoyer that spends weekends reading newspapers and philosophy books. looks down on people that lack manners. DOES want to serve for the best of his abilities and be appreciated. But ALSO I get the vibes... that he's the way he is because he's a shitty wizard.

HEAR ME OUT... It was just a joke at first but his fiasco with messing the most basic spell and being thrown out of the train..... I feel like he, in fact, can be incompetent wizard and that can fuck him up SO BADLY... like inferiority complex... I can imagine him being young & dreaming of becoming a great wizard & failing painfully. So now he compensates it with self-taught magic and dark arts (his necromancy interest). “dark magic is just misunderstood, not evil"...

I also get vibes from him of being bullied? I would take away his lunch yk. And now he allows people to walk over him and it's not just a job thing he's just like that. Until the moment he snaps. And murder may be the way for him to feel being in-control, which he usually lacks. Feel like he hass power. He doesn't feel nor act like purple guy jeff the killer (he's too old for that) but. Sometimes he thinks “It would be nice to kill someone right now. I also need cash. Hmm.” and that's now it happens. Maybe he feels alive when he does that, but it's only in-moment feeling that doesn't stay. I feel like he's pretty sensitive and can say when he feels bad(offended) or good(proud), but doesn't really have emotional intelligence? The feelings are there, what to do with them? who knows. not him. he goes out on the streets at night. depreesion)

I think he knows a lot about magic and artifacts (found out about the relic by private investigation or smth) but he can't use that intformation himself! what a shame! I get the vibes that he can be almost . cursed . to be a bad wizard. he's probably not but it just feels that way. so many potential in such cringefail loser (/affectionate). and he knows that and mourns that! what does he do with his life!

I rotate him in my mind he's so interesting what is wrong with him . . .

NODS VIGOROUSLY ALONG WITH YOUR POINTS im sitting here taking notes for my fic fr!! i actually hit on a lot of the same conclusions you did which makes me so happy, but one of the main differences was i thought he might actually be a good wizard, BUT i think your reading that he's ACTUALLY just a shitty wizard is more interesting character-wise....

like you said "he knows a lot about magic and artifacts but he can't use that intformation himself" <- YESSS. i think the exact way that he's shitty is that he definitely has the theoretical knowledge, but he can't apply it for shit. <3 like at the end of rockport limited he clearly knew the flame spell he was going to use, he just... fucking misses by a country mile LMFAO, even the meat monsters seem a little cobbled-together, like he knows the the theory but there's little finesse in the execution.

"he's the way he is because he's a shitty wizard." <- OK BC THIS BASIS IS SO GOOD. hes got so much ambition but no talent, and that informs everything about him!! - it's my headcanon that he grew up lower-middle class, and i think combining that with being bullied and being bad at magic contributed to an inferiority complex. and he likes refined things precisely because he likes the image of himself as this powerful refined (rich) person when he's really just grasping at it desperately :)))

aaand i think the dark arts provide shortcuts to power for the price of sacrificing another living thing, SO FOR JENKINS, who was a shitty wizard and an asshole who's totally willing to sacrifice people for power, it suited him perfectly :)))))))

not to mention all the points u brought up abt why he kills are so good. i think it's firstly a practicality thing (he needs the money, like u said), but then secondarily an outlet for his anger (he's a bit emotionally unintelligent like u also said lol). i think he learned how to deal with this simmering hatred in the exact wrong way, where he bottles it up during the day when ppl push him around and then lets it out during his murders. instead of yknow... learning to not let ppl push him around, and manage his anger and deal with it less destructively SDFLSDFKJ. and it became a cycle. so now he's a serial murderer cos he's into this repress-release pattern, someone get this man into therapy or get him a boyfriend who can fix him !!

AND... okok final point bc its getting a bit long. "so many potential in such cringefail loser (/affectionate). and he knows that and mourns that! what does he do with his life!" <- YES. perhaps even. he is not cut out to be a wizard..... he clearly has ambition, and good taste, and a flair for the dramatic, and mental problems, which means. of course. he is perfectly suited for the theater--//SHOT

[a-student-out-of-time]

MOD

I SWEAR

YOU HAVE TO BE CORRECT THAT AREI IS ALIVE

IF YOU ARENT

I WILL COMMIT ATROCITIES

//I've seen continuous doubts about my theory, and for both Timeline Anon and others, this scene felt to them like the final nail in the coffin for that theory

//The fact that you're all immediately writing her off as dead when we're not even at the halfway point and there are so many unanswered questions is astounding.

//Ahem.

//If she's gone, explain to me why there's still so many unanswered plot threads and interesting character details

Why is it that J was the one who brought up that secret? A secret that Arei herself admitted she overheard, which directly lead into that flashback scene with those two?

Why has J been going so ham on Arturo this entire time? Yes, one could easily say it's because she's sick of him and put two and two together, but honestly, it seems like a bit of a leap from "you told me you wished you had a brother like mine instead of a sister" to "your sister killed herself"

//Again, I can totally understand her being vindictive over this, given all the shit Arturo's caused her and Eden. But from how Arturo was acting, honestly, I'm inclined to believe he didn't actually say anything like that

//But you know what makes perfect sense? The details that lead into my next point

3. We have an established time frame thanks to the alibis. We know that the scene with Arei and Eden took place not long after the playground breakdown.

//That means that was a large window of time for the two of them to switch places. But why?

//That's incredibly sweet, and we know she wants more friends. And we know that, at the same time, J has been dealing with Arturo. Arei just saw J pull a scalpel on Eden over his secret, so why wouldn't she want to immediately jump to the other person she likes in her own way?

//The person that's had to deal with him far longer than Eden. Why wouldn't she want to give J a hand after that?

4. Again, we know that Arei knows that there's a murderer in the group, and even if the switch wasn't about that specifically, that probably means that she was likely trying to help with that. This means that, if the blackened of this case isn't the murderer, she had no idea who actually did it. Why reveal herself then? That would make her the most suspicious.

5. Maybe it's just me, but I can't shake the feeling that J has been acting weird these last few episodes. She's an aggressive person, and admitted in her intro that she's judgemental, but there's never been indication that she's been this vindictive. Even regarding her own secret, this feels especially harsh.

6. This moment right here feels interesting to focus on

//Of all things to say?

7. The biggest one for me right now is actually Charles and Whit. Clearly, those two know something's up. There may not be a conspiracy going on in this group like I initially thought, but Whit is another person who Arei clearly was close with last chapter. He was the one who cut off Teruko learning about the note at first, and then there's this bit after Eden's story

//What are you two up to? What are you hiding?

//I'd almost be tempted to say they're suggesting Arei was actually lying, but that feels at odds with the ways they've acted and what they're saying. Not to mention Charles looks more embarrassed than concerned or angry

//Furthermore, there's the fact that there was so much attention drawn to Charles having a secret, including a CG and telling Teruko to reveal it during the trial...and then we got no follow-up on that. He was just like "Oh yeah, guess I didn't need to. It was Eden's."

//I don't buy it. There's clearly more going on here

8. Finally, the fact that they had an emotional scene like this? Not even halfway into the trial? If it was after the intermission or near the climax, if that was the last scene we got with Arei, I might've bought it. But putting it here? Not a chance. This has to be leading somewhere.

//Plus, you know who else was convinced their best friend was dead? Shuichi and Maki. And guess what? Them believing Kaito was dead was all part of the plan

//There's also the many, many unanswered questions throughout this chapter, from what it was Arei's crying reminded her of (again, still not followed up on), to Teruko's prosopagonsia (no, that isn't just here to set up something for a future case, I'm sure of it), to whatever the hell is going on with Nico, Hu, David and Ace, who are part of their own drama right now

//Yeah, sorry, I'm only increasingly convinced that I'm right about this. Admittedly, we keep getting thrown so many curveballs that it's getting harder to make sense of it all regarding the exact motive.

//But the fact that J has said things that it seems like only Arei would say and do, particularly being vindictive toward Arturo? And acted in weird ways, like being super concerned about Arei's well-being early on, saying things like "even if the person you tried to kill is still alive," all of it just odd to me

//I'm not in denial and I'm not saying this as copium, I mean that earnestly. There are so many weird writing moments and character bits, combined with hanging plot threads, that it leads me to believe that this is what they're building up to. It's really the only thing that makes sense to me right now

//Clearly they had a plan with Arei from the beginning, given that we got this huge emotional scene with her and Eden, but that can't be all there is to it. It's a sad and emotionally satisfying moment for her character to end on, but placing it here so early honestly leaves me convinced there's more to come

[infatuate]

9 book recs meme! tagged by @roobylavender; ty faatima <3333. this ended up being longer than i wanted it to be but oh well

the bloody chamber & other stories - angela carter

angela carter quotes get circulated out of context on this site every 2-3 business days but i really do think everyone should tap into the bloody chamber at least once. i have written many a paper on this book & each time i uncovered some new aspect i had previously overlooked but which carter hadn't. i'm not sure what i could say about it that hasn't already been said; this is one of the best fairytale anthologies out there, period. not to mention, those quotes are so much better in context.

decreation: poetry, essays, opera - anne carson

the first book of carson's essays/poetry i ever read cover to cover after crashing against plainwater hard when i was like 16. decreation is very aptly named - it's disjointed & deconstructed & more than a little strange, moving from subject to subject, essay to poem to play to opera and back again, but it managed to capture my attention the way none of carson's other works did. decreation is a journey through the self (through sleep & the subconscious, the spirit & God) that doesn't really arrive anywhere but is worth reading for the journey. aside from showing me just what could be done with form, it also introduced to me to marguerite porete, who became my own personal medieval mystic-martyr special interest. i've since read a lot of carson, but i still think decreation is her most interesting (& maybe underrated?) work.

violence & the sacred - rene girard

a solid 75% of my essays in my last two years of undergrad used this text as scaffolding of some sort. even when i wasn't writing about violence, sacrifice, or mimesis, i was thinking about it. this is a dense book of theory that flies by because everything girard is saying is simultaneously insane & so so compelling. other people have if you're interested in rituals, the societal function of violence, the origins of the word scapegoat, or you just want to find a new jumping off point for your own thoughts on any of these topics, i think you would find violence & the sacred a really fascinating text.

the children of húrin - j.r.r. tolkien

i read the children of húrin directly after reading the hobbit at age 14; i wanted another 'short' 'standalone' tolkien book to read before diving into the lord of the rings or the silmarillion. (i clearly did not know anything about tolkien at this point in my life.) but i don't regret it at all, because it's probably the best thing he's ever written. CoH is, for the most part, about the tragic life of túrin son of húrin & how the curse on his family dooms him & everyone he crosses paths with. the tighter focus on túrin's various fuck-ups and miseries is more intimate, more detailed, and more character-driven unlike a lot of tolkien's first age work. it's also the darkest thing tolkien's written, in my opinion; this is his longest most extended greek tragedy moment & he leans into it 100%. hubris, unintentional incest, accidental murder, suicide - the children of húrin has it all. túrin turambar you will always be famous!

a master of djinn - p. djeli clark

this is my favorite new fantasy read of the last couple of years. i went into thinking i wouldn't like it at all—it's set in an edwardian-era alternate history magical steampunk cairo, for one—but clark's writing is incredibly immersive. he's very skilled at reimagining history in a way that both makes perfect sense & is wildly inventive. i thought some of its critiques of colonialism were a little shallow but otherwise it was fun. and lesbian! the main character is a dapper muslim butch, and while i'm not usually a 'representation for its own sake' kind of person, i couldn't help but be obsessed with fatma. it helps that it has a more refined perspective on islam compared to virtually any other muslim/arab fantasy novel i've ever read (this is not a high bar). a master of djinn comes with not one, but two short stories set in the same universe, so you can check out clark's writing for free & see how you like it.

as meat loves salt - maria mccann

this one was recommended to me by a twitter mutual almost 2 years ago and i haven't reread it since, but i think about it frequently anyways. it's a historical fiction novel set during the english civil war, following jacob cullen, a man initially of gentle birth who becomes a servant who becomes a soldier in the parliamentary army. characterizing it beyond that gets tricky; how do you properly describe the completely insane depths of rage, lust, love, & obsession that mccann plumbs? as meat loves salt is for the hannigram girls, the heathcliff/cathy girls, the girls who enjoy devotion & obsession going hand in unlovable hand. major tws for rape & violence, & i don't think i could read it again unless i was in the right headspace, but this one is really good.

ship of magic - robin hobb

i could have put any robin hobb book here, because i do think everyone should read robin hobb at least once. especially if you have even a passing interest in fantasy. ship of magic made the final cut because it's the perfect beginning for anyone who might be turned off by the slow character study that is the farseer trilogy. liveship traders is more fast-paced with a rotating cast of v unique characters and the best villain she's ever put to paper. it has talking ships, terrible parenting even for a fantasy book, representation for awful horrible teenage girls with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, & a truly original take on dragons.

beowulf: a new verse translation - seamus heaney

when i decided to minor in medieval studies, beowulf was at least 60% of the reason. i read the r.m. liuzza broadview translation for class (which i love, to be clear), but my prof recommended that we go read heaney's translation anyways, because it's both a good translation of beowulf & an exercise in poetic brilliance. to me, heaney's beowulf feels less like a translation & more like a free-verse poem he wrote while possessed by the spirit of a 7th century scop. i know there are better, more accurate/faithful translations, but this one has a spirit to it that's difficult to find elsewhere. honestly it's worth reading for the introduction alone.

the fortune men - nadifa mohamed

my token contemporary non-fiction fiction novel of the past couple of years. i'm always rooting for everyone somali but also? nadifa mohamed is just a great writer. this novel is set in 1950s cardiff, wales, and dramatizes the true story of mahmood hussein mattan, a somali man who was wrongfully executed for the murder of lily volpert. mohamed approaches the events with so much empathy for both victims and the extensive research she did shines through at every moment. the consistency and conviction and clarity of her writing will convince you that, even if you don't know anything about the city or the time period or the events unfolding, she definitely does. she was kinda robbed for the booker but that's just my opinion.

tagging @derelictship; @misericordae; @hesitationss; @yevrosima-the-third; @gawayne; @butchniqabi & anyone else who wants to do it!

[sonseulsoleil]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @hmslusitania! Thanks Hayley!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

110

2. What’s your total word count on AO3?

483,852

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Whatever I am obsessed with at the moment. The last stuff I was working on was Percy Jackson fic, before that Heartstopper (and I WILL get back to those wips eventually). Oh, and Newsies is also currently in the works! Basically I have ADHD and I am all over the place all of the time. I'll go back to wips I started 5 years ago and keep working on them. What I've written vs what I've actually managed to polish and post is a HUGE disparity lol

4. Top five fics by kudos

- All We Do Is Run

- Let the Whole World Melt Away

- never saw you coming (and I'll never be the same)

- sugar, butter, flour (what a mess I'm making)

- stay in my arms if you dare (or must I imagine you there)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, almost always. It takes me awhile sometimes, but I try to respond to every comment. I worry that if I don't respond, people will stop commenting.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I've written a couple Major Character Death fics, but they're not on AO3 because they were just drabbles so I only posted them on tumblr (also they're very old and bad)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

hmmm maybe All We Do Is Run, just compared to the source material lmao

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have a couple times. Mostly on fics where I've introduced OCs, which sucks.

9. Do you write smut?

Yes, sometimes. But I don't post it. I write it for myself and will maybe share it with friends if they're interested.

10. Craziest crossover?

I've never written a proper crossover. I'll write AUs where I take the characters of Property A and put them into the story of Property B, but I've never written a true crossover where characters of two properties interact.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, but I've definitely had fic concepts stolen. Which sounds petty, but I've made posts about fics I'm working on and had people take them and write their own fics with the same details I mentioned and it's like. Not plagiarism exactly and it's impossible to own ideas, really, but it does rub me the wrong way.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A couple times! It's very cool!

13. Have you ever Co-written a fic?

I tried once a long time ago and it went poorly. Turns out I am not a very good collaborator sometimes.

14. All time favourite ship?

I don't--you want me to pick ONE?! are you kidding lol

15. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have SO MANY. There's a Star Trek fic I've been working on off and on since Beyond came out. There's my mermaid!Buck 911 fic. There's my current Heartstopper fic. There's my PJO Anastasia fic. There's my angst canon divergence Psych fic. My google drive is a graveyard of partially written stories begging to see the light of day.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing things, clearly.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Depends wildly. I've written this in some Heartstopper fics, because Nick speaks French. And I had a friend who is fluent in French help me get it right. I think when people take the time to find a fluent speaker to help them or are fluent themselves, it's fine and good. And when people are just using google translate, it shows. Also, obviously, being bilingual has to make sense for the character. I also especially have beef with the way people often write latine characters/Spanish specifically. I grew up surrounded by latinos and nobody talks like that. Stop it. You all know what I'm talking about.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

ABC's Castle. Say what you will about Nathan Fillion, but that show shaped me as a person.

20. Fave fics you’ve written?

All We Do Is Run (longest multi-chap I've ever written. this thing was years of my life.)

répète (the only one of my GMW/BMW fics I regularly go back to)

tin can telephones (it's all written in texts and dialogue and that was really fun)

I'm tagging @firstelevens @memequeme @galwithalibrarycard and anyone else who wants to do it!

[polychocobros]

if i’m allowed to speak on it, this will be tagged as infinite wealth spoilers. Just wanted to talk about how they handled kiryu on here and see if anyone else agrees with me. I know some of my mutuals on twitter do but I want to actually have an open discussion with others on it.

After chapter 7, when Yamai beats the shit out Kiryu and kidnaps him, I feel like the story took a turn for the worst. They clearly put no care into this game’s story at all, especially Kiryu’s part and it was really disappointing to me as Kiryu is probably my favorite character of all time. I personally saw no point in Yamai kidnapping him and then actually not doing anything to him, it felt contradictory, not to say characters can’t be but it felt like there was almost no consequence for it or it wasn’t meant to have an impact on you to begin with. They make you stressed out (at least I was) over what could potentially happen to him and did nothing with it. Kiryu’s bucket list was filled with shit that wasn’t even important. I don’t need to know that Kiryu went to a Poppo on Nakimichi St. at 7:57 am and bought a fucking bento. Maybe make space for shit that actually matters like his children or his relationship with the Jimas. Instead of having Kiryu spend what could be his last months with Ichiban’s friends (i love his interactions with Zhao and his relationship with Seonhee aside from the flirting don’t get me wrong), he should’ve had his party be the people who impacted his life the most. Haruka could have literally been the idol class. She could’ve fought alongside him even to his protest. They used a bunch of heat actions for Kiryu’s skills and could’ve done the same for the Jimas. The Jimas were literally just added into the game for exposition and a boss fight. Daigo seemed to be the only one who was expressive about Kiryu having cancer, Majima and Saejima didn’t even fucking care? Majima who waited ten years for Kiryu to get out of prison so he could train him to be better? Majima who got in the way of one of his subordinates to take a stabbing for Kiryu because he insisted he belonged to him and only he could kill him? Kiryu trusting Majima to the point where he would rather talk to him first than outright assume he betrayed him in 3. Kiryu having a breakdown thinking Majima was dead and almost broke his cover to seek revenge on his killer in 5. There’s way more I can get into but not caring that Kiryu has cancer? Only one sentence on the matter and that’s that? They want to convince us Kiryu and Majima never cared for one another and it feels insulting to us who actually value Majima and Kiryu’s relationship as friends (shipping aside) bc Kiryu and Majima both trust each other with their lives. Saejima and Kiryu also trust each other and have a friendship and it’s like Saejima might as well have not even been there cause he said next to nothing.

I would’ve been happier about him seeing Taichi had I not known he literally only sees him. Not even a single one of his other children does he see besides a scene I mention later on in the post.

Ichiban telling him he deserved to live for only about 2.5 seconds.. was that supposed to make me sad? Or cry? Sure I got teary eyed but they did not even give us enough time to sit with what Ichiban was saying for me to feel as emotionally impacted as I thought I would. Then Kiryu calling him pathetic for being embarrassed about what happened with Saeko? Like seriously? Kiryu may not be super expressive naturally but calling Ichiban pathetic for being rightfully embarrassed felt wrong.

Was Kiryu supposed to develop as a character in this game at all? Everyone keeps telling him that he shouldn’t take things on alone and that he should rest and then at the boss fight with Ebina he’s like I have to do this alone and Zhao and Saeko have to tell him this fucking bullshit again? As someone who can relate to Kiryu in many avenues (feeling like a burden, feeling like he needs to do things on his own instead of ask for help, feels like even the smallest things are my fault even when they aren’t), it felt like his development in this game was scarce to none then rushed right at the end for some villain who literally did nothing all fucking game. Am I supposed to care about Kiryu telling Ebina all this fucking bullshit? The only thing in that speech that made me teary eyed was Kiryu crying, not even what he was saying because I dont care about Ebina enough to waste tears on him cause he was so irrelevant in game.

And the icing on the cake, the final scene. Haruka and Haruto pull up and Kiryu isn’t even there, he’s in chemo and we get a scene of him just saying his actual name again. Not a single fucking interaction with Haruka or Haruto. No, I’m sorry for abandoning you guys I should’ve never done that. One of the, if not, MOST, important relationship in Kiryu’s fucking life, gets not a single fucking interaction. I literally cried because I was so fucking upset we couldn’t even get that. Like seeing the way they dealt with Kiryu in this game.. I feel like I got fucking shot in the chest (no need to be so dramatic). This was supposed to be a send off to Kiryu? After 3,5, and 6 being a send off? Like how many fucking send offs can you possibly fucking give Kiryu? If I knew this was going to happen I would’ve rather they just killed him off of tetanus like Dean Winchester.

It sucks knowing the journey I spent with Kiryu during all the fucking games I played ended up with so much disappointment. I woild literally wake up mad almost every day after chapter 7. It was that serious for me. There were other things besides Kiryu’s side of things that really upset me (the entirety of the Tatara Channel subplot, the mini games with Ichiban ended up being SA’d because a man being SA’d is funny apparently, Hanawa’s death, Seonhee being one of the first women (besides Daigo’s mom) in the game who’s a cool mafia boss for only half her bond interactions to be flirting with fucking Kiryu, them implying she is into women and then doing literally nothing with it, Saeko’s drink links revolving around some irrelevant man who asked to marry her when she got mad at Ichiban at the start of the game for that, to the point of ghosting him, Zhao and Joongi being complete fucking after thoughts, especially Joongi.. Zhao and Ichiban do not interact in the game at all whatsoever, only one plot related sentence). I fell in love with Kiryu for a reason in Yakuza 0. From going to 0 to possibly one of the worst send offs in any game I’ve ever seen; is fucking heartbreaking. I really hope they mean it this time because I cannot sit through another game with Kiryu in it unless he isn’t at peace with his children, where he is truly happiest. Please leave Kiryu alone and let him go.

[fahye]

(1/?) Freya!!!!! I apologise in advance, this ask is going to be all over the place. Since I discovered your ao3 profile many, many years ago, you've been one of those auto-read authors for me, the kind you follow blindly and faithfully into fandoms you've never heard of, and crucially, the kind who always, always deliver. I must have read your capri ficS fifty times EACH, i revisit them like every six months, they're so good (ALSO!! Those fic are the reason I discovered the capri trilogy, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT!!!) ANYWAY!! That is to say, when you announced that you were publishing your first original novel, I was SO excited. And AML did not disappoint, it had everything that made me fall in love with your writing in the first place, fascinating world building, and characters i want to kiss on the forehead and tuck into my pockets (AND MAGICAL HOUSES!!!! Bestest of tropes). I read it around the time it came out and I couldn't wait for the sequel. And then I learned what the sequel was actually going to be about and ART immediately became my most anticipated book of the year. Every tidbit you divulged made me go to goodreads and stare at the publication date for full minutes like sheer longing was going to magically make it sooner.

(2/3 now I think) Magical murder mystery! Sapphics!!! ON BOATS!!! It sounded like it was going to be the book of dreams. AND IT WAS!!!!!! It was sooooo gooood. I loved everything about it: the plot (delightful, delightful, and delightful. A VALISE FULL OF PORNOGRAPHY!!! WILD ANIMALS RUNNING AMOK!! A FAKE REAL SEANCE!!! God, just thinking about it makes me so happy), the characters (i loved everyone so dearly!!! Even the background characters were painted so vividly and charmingly, and of course the orgy quartet HAS MY WHOLE HEART!!! Both individually and together. Special mentions go to Lord Hawthorn, the aristocratic asshole of my heart, AND MAUDIE!!!! She was so complex and wonderul, and I just saw you one post where you described her as a lesbian miles vorkosigan, which????!?!?!?! I'D NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT LIKE THAT BUT YES ABSOLUTELY, my most beloved brilliant disaster generals… AND OH, SHE'S EVEN ON A BOAT, SO "ADMIRAL" IS FITTING), and of course the prose… genuinely so astonishingly, consistently beautiful. I can't think of any other books where sentences regularly make me stop to marvel at how gorgeously crafted and evocative they are, at the cleverness of the pictures they paint, without taking me out of the story. And the consistent music imagery throughout the book, a connecting thread in both povs!!! I hope we get to see the girls at Spinet House in book three. And the sex scenes of course… you are a master!!!! So sexy and lush, and such excellent character studies at the same time, I am in awe. Also, so happy to see excellent, explicit wlw smut!!!! Not enough of it out there!!! Which of course brings me to the relationships…. AHHHHH SO GOOD. SO GOOD!! The joy and discovery and tension and building trust of Maud and Violet, the excellent dynamics of the quartet, but also Maud and Hawthorn, UNEXPECTEDLY MAYBE MY FAVORITE DUO, and omg, the way you depict even "off page" relationships, ie maud and edwin, maud and robin, robin and edwin… so much feeling and tenderness and care!!!! You don't need to be told that they love each other, it comes across so, so clearly. ALSO (last one I promise) FORSYTHIA CLUB BACKSTORY!!! Flora and Beth crushed my heart underfoot) 

(3/3) ANYWAY ALL OF THIS TO SAY…. ART was so much FUN!!!!! A treat from beginning to end, one of my fave reads this year. AND A POWER UNBOUND IS ALREADY MY MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF NEXT YEAR, which… is going to be thought, given that it's a whole 12 months away, womp womp. I can't wait to get more of lord hawthorn (who i hoped would be a future book protag on very first appearance in aml!!!), i want to pry him open like a clam and peer into his brain, and of alan ross, and of their DELICIOUS dynamic… also looking forward to learning more about elsie alston and to see the whole gang interact, magical houses included!!! Anyway, that is all, I apologise for the insane amount of capslock and exclamation points, I just wanted to make sure my appreciation got across, I LOVE THE LAST BINDING THANK YOU FOR WRITING THIS WONDERFUL SERIES, I WISH YOU MUCH JOY IN WRITING AND I CAN'T WAIT RO SEE WHAT YOU DO NEXT!!

anon I am so sorry I had to Read More your message because in the depths of my soul I want to frame it, decoupage it, enclose it in enamel with little flecks of gold leaf, shove it in the face of everyone who visits my house, etc. 

this is like when you open a ‘someone left a comment’ email from ao3 and your face does a weird :DDDDDDDD thing with each subsequent scroll-down you have to do to read the whole thing. thank you?? you’re so lovely and this message filled me with joy.

and I can say with full confidence that the theme of music continues in book 3, and that I have shoved my knife RIGHT into the clam-shell hinges of lord hawthorn for you all.

thank you again! I hope 2023 brings you many enjoyable things, and that my book is one of them.

[western-magical-girl-confessions]

✨Western Magical Girl Confessions January 2023 Update!✨

Hi everyone!^^ Happy New Year! 🎊

How are you all? What’s new? Still here? Lol Anyways, some of you may be wondering what’s going on with me? Maybe? Maybe not?lol Either way, I’m here to give you an update!

I’ve actually been sick with the flu for almost 3 weeks now! Has it been easy? HECK NO! 😆 So unfortunately, that’s a big chunk of the reason why I haven’t been motivated to make confessions. I’m starting to feel better, but I’m not planning on making any confessions until I’m 100% well! So once again, stay turned and thank you for being patient!

I’ve been just taking a break from this blog in general due to past events that have happened on it. Some due to my own ignorance and mistakes, some due to other factors, like anons. Either way, when I do eventually start making confessions again, I want to start off on a cleaner slate.

Just basically life stuff. Some stressful, some just average.

So after all of that is over and done with, I really want to make confessions again! I really miss doing them! Also, another thing I want to mention, throughout this hiatus in the past few months, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things. So I have a couple of things that I want to say and mention once more before I start up confessions again. I also want to say that this is going to be the last time that I’m going to repeat myself like this when I explain the bare bones of this blog, and to anyone who still doesn’t get it, I’ll just link the rules or link them back to this post.

Note: This stuff isn’t really meant to be aimed towards a particular group of people or certain fans, I’m just explaining this through my experiences and to make sure we are all on the same page here. My goal isn’t to “offend” anyone, it’s for my followers (and others who may pass this blog) to understand more clearly! So please don’t take what I say as offensive, please?

So, like I just said above, this is a confession blog about different western magical girl shows for different criticisms alike. It’s about people being able to express their feelings about different issues that they have with shows, it’s ships, it’s writing etc. I’m doing this blog for fun, for people to have a voice and to give people a chance to vent and to express their opinions without being directly attacked by certain people.

This blog is not JUST about a particular show. It’s about many western magical girl shows alike. So it’s not really fair to act passively aggressive towards the mod or the blog it’s self just because it allows a confession that said something negative about a show or ship that you like (or vice versa). Every opinion alike is allowed, even negative ones.

The mod’s thoughts and opinions on these shows, it’s ships, it’s characters etc. AREN’T a factor on this blog. This blog is about the mod submitting other people’s opinions and thoughts through cards. Their opinions and thoughts litterally have nothing to do with it, so please don’t act like it does to cause disclosure (or anything else of the sort).

If you have certain concerns about certain confessions on this blog, then you need to come to the mod about it so the situation will be taken care of to the best of it’s ability. If that particular problem is not solved in the way that you like it, then I’m sorry. The only other solution that I can recommend to you is to even ignore said problem, block the tags, or just block this blog in general. I personally can’t solve every single problem, especially since they come from different kinds of people, in which their opinions might contradict other’s opinions. If you truly aren’t satisfied with the way I run things, then it’s probably best if you just block and move on. I won’t get offended nor stop you. Sometimes, things just won’t work out 🤷🏾‍♀️

Like I’ve said above, this blog WILL be filled with different opinions and criticisms alike, even ones that you disagree with. If you can’t accept that, then just block this blog and move on. You’re allowed to reblog or comment on these confessions with your own opinions if you like as long as it’s aimed towards that confession in particular, not the blog it’s self. So if I feel like that your just trolling or what your saying is being indirectly vulgar towards this blog, then I’ll just block.

Again, anon hate will automatically be blocked, plain and simple. I don’t have the patience or tolerance anymore.

Again, like I’ve said many times before (and this will be the last time I’ll say this), Confessions are by DIFFERENT people, not the same person, so not ALL confessions are by the mod, nor are they by the same person. So don’t send hate that’s directed at the mod, since not all confessions are by them.

Look, I’m going to try to say this in the most non-belligerent way possible. I will try to take the necessary steps and make the necessary choices to make the blog enjoyable for everyone, not only me of course. However, sometimes those “steps” and “choices” might not be the same as what you want. If you don’t like that, that’s perfectly fine! However, being rude or gaslighting me about it isn’t going to change my mind. Even block the tags that are added to the confessions, or block this blog in general. Your opinions and feelings matter, but they aren’t the only ones that do.

Before submitting your thoughts & confessions, please read the rules.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please leave it in my ask box!

Now! With that out of the way! When I get back into making confessions, some will be unbanned and some will not!

The following confessions that will most likely be unbanned

Nex (Winx Club) confessions.

Positive Nabu (Winx Club) confessions.

All Chloe Bourgeois, Marinette Dupain Cheng, Zoe Lee, Sabrina Raincomprix (Miraculous Ladybug) confessions, regardless positive or negative. However, repetitive ones will most likely be submitted much later!

Anti Catra/Catradora confessions. However, ones that talk too negatively about its fans are still banned!

Negative Hordak (She Ra) confessions.

Negative Entrapta (She R) confessions.

The confessions that will still be banned or will be banned too

Confessions about Thomas Astruc (the creator of Miraculous Ladybug). You can still make criticisms about the writing or other issues, but avoid directly talking about him.

Confessions that talk directly about Chloe Bourgeois’s “redemption arc” (Miraculous Ladybug).

Nabu’s Death (Winx Club) Confessions.

Winx Club v.s. W.I.T.C.H confessions. You can still talk about both shows together, but NOT against each other.

Bloom, Sky and Diaspro (Winx Club) confessions, mostly ones like “Bloom/Sky are crappy people for what they did to Diaspro!”.

Anti Starlight Glimmer (My Little Pony) confessions. I just feel everyone and their grandmother knows how much of a “bad character” she is at this point, and has talked about it enough. I just don’t see the point anymore and just beating a dead horse.

“Bloom (Winx Club) is a Mary-Sue” confessions.

Confessions that claim characters as “Mary-Sues” or “Gary-Stus” in general. I just feel that the term has lost it’s meaning.

“I want the old Winx to come back!” confessions.

Things that could help!

Let me know if there’s any words, triggers, or tags that you would like for me to add to post so you can blacklist/block them.

Explaining your reasons for wanting a certain thing banned or not might help. I might understand or explain why this certain thing is valid/invalid.

The purpose of the blog IS for you to get things off your chest, but positive confessions are accepted too! I would love to hear some positivity about the shows, ships, characters etc. ^^

Please write *SPOILERS* in your confessions before writing it if you know that it’s a spoiler, especially if it’s Miraculous Ladybug and The Owl House. They’re the only active shows right now.

That’s all I really have to say. Sorry if this seems like I’m “making a mountain out of an anthill”, because I understand that this is just a side blog for fun, something that I don’t have to do lol However, I just want to be able to run my blog in peace, without any hurdles from people who refuse to understand. I’m just letting it be known that this is most likely the last time I’m going into detail like this.

So with this said, my little hiatus should be over soon, and I hope to do confessions again! Thank you for listening and if you have any thoughts or questions about any of this, feel free to leave it in my ask box!

Confessions at this time are closed until further notice, so please reframe from sending in confessions and headcanons! If you do so, it will be saved, but be released at a much later time!

Stay Magical!~

-WMGC Mod